Post-Launch Reflections
I promised some behind-the-scenes this year, so in this post, I’m revealing the lessons learned from my recent launch to open the doors to my brand new group program, Intentional Business Immersion.
It was the most exhausting launch I have ever done (it nearly took me two weeks to recover!) but also the most successful one, achieving my financial goal of generating €10K+ organically and with relatively minimal promotion.
IN THIS POST, YOU’LL LEARN:
The context of why I built this program
What was my promotion strategy
“Numbers” and behind-the-scenes
The biggest challenges leading up to this launch
What I did well
The E.B.I formula: Even Better If…
How the launch felt overall
The context of why I built this program
The way I’m evolving as a business owner has inspired the way I envision scaling my business;
First, I came to the realization that giving one-on-one attention ( at least in the way I want) demands a lot of things; good life hygiene, enough quality sleep, a focused and sharp mind, and a full presence.
But sickness was a recurring theme for our family last year (and I know I’m not alone in this case!), with the cumulative effect of sleep deficiency, so it felt that it would be unsustainable for me to multiply the number of private clients to generate more income.
With this in mind, I decided to grow with a curriculum-based group program.
I’ve been thinking about it for a long time; I even created the outlines and sales page 3 years ago but didn’t feel ready to bring it to the world.
Also, now that I’ve launched a couple of group coaching programs, I have more confidence in setting higher goals and designing bigger programs.
I created Intentional Business Immersion as the culmination of everything I’ve learned and tried as a business owner since I’ve been an entrepreneur; it combines my best tools and strategies, my approach, and my mantras. And also my arsenal: the emails, templates, and processes I took years to fine-tune.
“There are benefits to one-on-one coaching, and there are benefits to group programs; both are completely different experiences for the coach and the clients. ”
What was my promotion strategy?
I promoted a free 5-day training to introduce one of my foundational pillars each day. My methodology is rooted in a growth mindset, holistic time management, systems, timeless marketing, and a value-based approach and philosophy - as pathways to designing a fulfilling business and life.
What I did to get people to sign up for the free training:
An Instagram post and an IG story face-to-camera video for each training day to share the outcome (2,2K followers)
One message in 2 networking groups I’m part of on WhatsApp (150 contacts, the 2 groups combined)
An email to my mailing list (400+ contacts)
A few messages on my website in strategic locations (200+ users/month)
My optimistic target was 100 people signed up, and I got 70.
I had planned to do FB ads, but when I saw that I reached 70 organically and quite rapidly, I decided not to do it this time. I did test what it was like for a day, but I’m glad I turned it off because I had forgotten to connect the signup button to my email service platform, so people were signing up to nothing. 🙈🙈 🤣
I pitched my offer on day 4, and 5 people signed up during the “cart open” period.
Most people don’t know I enrolled three select clients before the official launch. A “secret enrollment” is what I did in my previous group coaching programs because it’s a symbolic encouragement to start with a vision of the group and have the core of it be clients you’ve worked with- and who are a perfect fit for the program.
My numbers and what I focus on
This is what people will say, and you probably read some versions of it:
“I had a $40k/$50k week, thanks to this email script/formula”.
Fewer people will talk about a $10k launch; and wait until they have more significant numbers to speak about their launches (but logically, before making $50k, they had smaller launches!).
What people don’t talk about:
The investment in ads (generally of 4 figures to reach 40-50$ k)
The team's size to generate this revenue level; is it a solopreneur business or a company with employees?
The cost and efforts of delivering the service over time: Are there support coaches? Contractors? Employees?
Is that number the revenue in total sales or cash banked? And is it for a recurring service delivered over several months or a few days?
How did the launch feel overall? Was it stressful, fun, or a complete burnout?
For example, I had a client running a 7-figure business; this didn’t make her business more “successful” or profitable than the one generating five figures. Revenue without context is irrelevant, and “success” is subjective to each individual.
My numbers:
Sales: €10 796 (six enrollments at group level, two at VIP level).
Banked: €7336.
Ads: €60, a waste for the above reasons - meaning it was 100% organic launch.
I didn’t outsource anything for the launch; I wanted to be hands-on and learn.
I’m the program's only coach and plan to stay that way! (I might invite some guest experts in the future).
What’s behind the scenes:
It’s a self-guided course with trainings delivered each month and up to two coaching calls monthly. Thus, the product is delivered over 12 months, and I’m dedicating 4-5 hours each week to build the curriculum content (I’m not creating it from scratch, thankfully!).
The launch week itself was intense, and I was focused on this project for 2-3 months leading to the launch (on top of my recurring activities and private coaching) to set up everything; the private community, the curriculum interface, and the welcome modules, email sequences, the sale page, replay page, and checkout pages, Facebook group, slide decks for five days of training, scripts, etc.
It’s a lot of hard work behind-the-scenes, and there is no shortcut, no matter what people make it look like.
The biggest challenges leading up to this launch
My biggest challenges were the learning curve of the tech, running a private community, and spending too much time on every detail-aka #perfectionism. Although I had started the preparation and planning three months before, during the launch phase, I was not living up to my life standards of being present with my family and having good self-care habits, and my rituals took a back seat at the expense of my health.
I was refining my slide deck before each training during the launch week to personalize it to the insights I gained as I taught and the feedback and questions I received. It would have been more energy efficient to take it easy before delivering a live training, but instead, I was working intensely on my slide deck, and sometimes I was rushing until 5 minutes into the session.
I was trying to learn how to do a Facebook LIVE and share the screen simultaneously; I watched tutorials, opened an account to test it, and tried different tools until I figured out the right tech setup. Learning how to use Facebook group features properly took me some time. And even with that, on day 1, I realized 10 minutes into the session that I was not sharing my presentation! 😅
The participants were active when I opened the private community the weekend before the training. So I was busy even before the launch event, reading and responding to every post as thoughtfully as possible.
I loved the positive spirit in the group - it was incredible. But I spent more time and energy than anticipated inside the community before and during the launch, 2-3 hours daily, and felt overwhelmed. (I since then learned that there are apps that help you streamline your Facebook group management!).
And trying to integrate comments from the chat during the live session distracted me, and I learned that this also distracted some participants (thanks to their feedback!).
What went well
I cared a lot about each participant and wanted every interaction to be meaningful, and participants felt that.
I also did a couple of spontaneous live room chats, which were fun and intimate.
By doing a launch to my community exclusively (as opposed to a cold audience), the group that was organically created reflected my values of community, compassion, and spirituality. And based on what I read in the feedback, most people in the private community felt carried and uplifted by this positive collective energy.
EBI: even better if
…I stepped back
What I did well was what burned me out: I tried to be everyone’s coach and understand their journey to give thoughtful replies and helpful, meaningful support.
This strategy is not sustainable; I want to remember that I’m a facilitator in the group, not a coach - and even if I wanted to, I don’t have enough context for everyone’s businesses to do that.
..I had a different delivery setup.
On the tech side, Facebook isn’t great for delivering live sessions. There was a lot of buffering, which was distracting for participants. In the future, it may be best to sacrifice the interaction ability during the LIVE for a better streaming experience. And we can still have spontaneous chat rooms afterward for the interaction element.
…I scripted everything ahead of time
I felt anxious during the pitch, mainly because I didn’t script it and felt unprepared (all my trainings are scripted in general). And because of this, I don’t think I explained the program's content clearly and with my best energy. I felt nervous and awkward!
How the launch felt overall
The collective energy and human experience were fantastic and were the best part of this launch. I enjoyed seeing the positive, caring attitude in the group.
To deliver a 5-day training is like a marathon, and I was not physically prepared. In fact, because of the stress, working late, and breaking my cycles, I was weaker, and on day 3, I was starting to have flu-like symptoms; losing my voice, having a sore throat, and neck ache. After the launch, I collapsed and was sick for a week.
Picture of day 3, with a hot pillow on my shoulder 😆
Conclusion
“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” Parkinson Law
No matter how long you plan, two, three, or four months, you have to prepare for the fact that there will be a little bit of chaos ANYWAYS. Glitches and hiccups are inevitable and part of the learning experience.
4, 5, 6, 7 figures…numbers are data. Data is important, but they aren’t everything and don’t give the full picture.
Long-lasting results and impact are not a short-term pursuit; it’s an investment in the long term with multiple iterations of our product and marketing method.
And I’m convinced that sustainable growth is only possible if we commit to the quality of our relationships and product over quantity.
In the online space where people obsess over status, results, and achievements, it’s essential to look at the bigger picture of our work and our experience:
Are my current clients making progress? Do they feel supported?
Do they recommend me to their friends?
Am I moving in the right direction or reaching my financial goals?
Do I feel emotionally fulfilled by my work?
Do I feel proud of the work I’m putting out into the world?
Is my program/product aligned with my values and vision?
If so, then whatever the numbers say; I’m on the right track.
I hope you enjoyed this post-launch reflection.
What part resonated? What was your biggest takeaway? I’d love to hear from you; feel free to comment below!
About Maika
Maika mentors heart-centered, impact-driven entrepreneurs to build the foundations of their business with her signature Intentional Business Building™ method. Her approach is holistic and integrates the entrepreneur mindset, marketing strategies, and systems to help create sustainable changes and long-lasting results. A lifelong passion for the human psyche, healing arts, and personal growth brought her to mentorship and coaching. She’s French-born in Japan and currently lives in Istanbul with her family. She’s an Epicurean and enjoys cooking Asian, dining out with curiosity, and sophisticated cocktails.
